Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
by C.S. Skywalker
Summary: SPOILER ALERT FOR TLJ. The Resistance must rally it's meager forces together after the destruction of D'Qar. While they fend off the First Order, Rey and Kento try to convince Luke Skywalker to come back with them to fight. Only with the Jedi Master's help will they survive when the dark side of the Force beckons as Kylo Ren finishes his training with Snoke.
_**Author's note:** Hello everyone, and welcome to my second installment of the Star Wars epic with a few added bits and pieces from me. If you have not read my first installment, I would recommend giving that a quick read -I've got a few OCs and such that you'd need to familiarize yourself with. If you liked Rogue One, I also have a Rogue One fic currently ongoing for those interested. Thank you for picking this up and giving it a read through -I'd appreciate an honest review, it really makes my day and helps me make this story better for you and me._

 _-C.S Skywalker_

 _ *****WARNING: MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS FOR THE LAST JEDI READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*****_

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

 **STAR WARS**

 **Episode VIII**

 **THE LAST JEDI**

 **The FIRST ORDER reigns.**

 **Having decimated the peaceful Republic, Supreme Leader Snoke now deploys his merciless legions to seize military control of the galaxy.**

 **Only General Leia Organa's band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight.**

 **But the Resistance has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape...**

 ** _1_**

 ** _Escape_**

There was chaos everywhere. A woman with long black hair rushed through the crowd of panicked Resistance fighters, all of them in too much of a hurry to regard the high status of the major. D'Qar was in ruins. No one knew how Hux had found them -the base had been hidden for so long, yet after the triumph at Starkiller Base, there was no time to breathe, they had immediately received the alert that the First Order was onto them, looking to raze everything to the ground.

The woman bumped into a tall Resistance officer with a goatee. As he searched her face, looking for familiarity, he turned as a transport ship lifted off and shot towards the atmosphere of the planet. Looking back at her, the flash of recognition came across his face and he began to voice his concerns.

"We're not clear yet, Major!" he shouted with alarm. "We've still got thirty loads of cannon shells in the main bunker!"

"Forget the munitions, there's no time! Just get everyone on board!" Major Bree Dane ordered, her green eyes flashing.

The sound of a starship arriving from hyperspace echoed across the planet and the major looked up into the sky. It was almost too late. "Oh no."

It was Hux and what looked like the rest of the First Order.

"Get me my X-Wing," she snarled into her comlink as she scrambled her way towards the crowded hangar.

A timid Resistance fighter looked to hand Bree a flack jacket and helmet on her way towards her starfighter, but Bree merely waved it off. "Major…?"

"I don't need that Jax," she said pointedly as she hopped neatly into the blue and silver striped X-Wing. "I only need to get to Leia -now and quick."

"What about a droid, I need to prep one of the BB units-"

"Jax!"

The man stopped in his tracks and hesitantly looked at the major. "General Organa wishes you not to fly on auto-"

"How long is it going to take for you to find a droid and prep it for my ship?" Bree asked.

Jax looked relieved. "Not too long. I just need to find one that's not in use, power it up and get it calibrated to your X-Wing."

"That's what I'm saying," Bree said as she lowered the hatch. "Waste of time."

The distinct X-Wing shot out of the hangar as the shy mechanic watched it fly into the sky filled with Star Destroyers, and prayed for the wild major's good health.

"I need a droid, my ass," Bree muttered as she disregarded her ship's warning of a droid-less gap in her system. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

She needed to get to Leia. The General would've already seen the Destroyers by now- Bree was just desperate to explain the situation on the ground with the rest of the Resistance. It was vital that they left the planet's orbit immediately. They were still licking their wounds from the heavy losses they had surmounted at Starkiller Base, and they knew it wouldn't take long for the First Order to recover -they had a plethora of resources on their hands and plenty more Stormtroopers to send. But none of them had expected for the Order to find them this quickly and at this rate.

Bree was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that her thrusters were set to full force and she jerked the yoke, almost barely missing a transport ship. Quickly locating the hangar of Leia's star cruiser, she yanked the yoke back to her left, and the X-Wing dove down for a sloppy landing.

Pounding her way out of the hatch, she wove through another throng of Resistance fighters. The whole hangar was in chaos -everything was in chaos.

"Excuse me," she grunted as she pushed past the crowd. "Major Bree Dane, I need to get to General Organa. Please let me through, excuse me-"

Bree felt like she could finally breathe as broke free of the crowd and into the still busy hallways. The control room was right around the corner -Leia would be there no doubt.

Bursting in the busy room, Bree saw that she had missed much. The control room wasn't her area of expertise, however, she had grown up enough around the ranks to know that they were preparing for an attack.

"Ah, hello Major Dane!" C-3PO greeted her brightly, despite the situation.

"Hey Threepio," she murmured, concentrated on the scanners.

Looking quickly at the screens, she relayed the information -a Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought had just come out of hyperspace, and was targeting the _Raddus_. The major's eyes scanned the room, and found her adoptive mother hunched over the console, surveying the battle scene. Or, at least what looked like a battle scene. Confused, Bree stepped towards the general, touching her elbow briefly. Leia looked up in acknowledgment, and turned back towards the command console.

"We've got one more transport left on D'Qar, General," Bree said.

"Good," Leia replied, keeping her eyes on the console.

"What's this?" Bree asked, gesturing towards the lone X-Wing facing the First Order Dreadnought. No way was that something that Leia had planned. It was almost suicide for that fighter.

"Another one of Poe's crazy ideas," the General sighed.

"Figures," Bree mumbled. "I don't know how nothing's happened to him yet."

"There he goes," Leia said as Poe began the dive with his black X-Wing.

"You can't be serious," Bree said. "Poe's going to die out there. This is as costly as it is idiotic."

"He's only aiming for their surface cannons," Leia finally turned to Bree. "Then he'll come right back, and we will be out of here at light speed."

"General, all due respect but that's Poe out there," Bree pointed at the X-Wing that looked small and minuscule compared to the Dreadnought. "He's going to try and take down that Dreadnought."

Leia looked grim. "We'll see about that."

As Poe blasted the last of their cannons away, cheers rang out in the control room. Bree looked worried. Yes, the star fighter of the rebellion had knocked out a Dreadnought's firing capabilities but they didn't have any more manpower to sacrifice taking down the ginormous ship.

A transmission patched in. "Last transport in the air. Evacuation is complete."

Leia smiled, shaking her head. "You did it, Poe. Now get your squad back here so we can get out of this place."

"No, General!" Poe's voice was urgent, excited.

Bree pursed her lips. She knew that tone.

"We can do this! We have a chance to take out a Dreadnought!" Poe said. "These things are fleet killers! We can't let it get away."

"Disengage now, Commander," Leia said, sternly. "That is an order!"

A flick of a switch was heard, and they lost communication to Poe. Leia glanced at Bree, who's face read "I told you so," and then looked towards C-3PO.

"Wipe that nervous expression off your face Threepio," she said with gritted teeth.

"Oh," the droid jumped. "Well, I will certainly try General."

Leia tried not to roll her eyes and turned back to the console, worried.

Bree watched with her as the scene unfolded. It was like watching a raging river overflow -beautiful, but catastrophic. Poe had called in a squadron of bombers, and all but one survived. It had unloaded its payload, but not before it had suffered a hit, causing it to go down with the rest of the Dreadnought.

"Direct hit!" An officer called out, watching his monitor. "Dreadnought down!"

Leia closed her eyes in relief briefly, before sitting down in her seat to rest.

"Mum," Bree stepped forward to help her.

"I'm fine," Leia murmured. Bree followed her eyes, and knew what had caused her the most pain.

Out of the squadron of eighteen, only seven had made it. Leia sighed and shut her eyes, not wanting to look at the sight. Bree grimaced. Poe had certainly brought down the Dreadnought. Yet so many Resistance lives were lost, lives that didn't need to be lost in that attack.

The Star Cruiser quickly jumped to lightspeed after it was confirmed Poe and his squadron were safely in the hangar.

"I'm demoting him," Leia said firmly.

Bree ran a hand through her hair. "General?"

She followed Leia to a side table where the General took an aggressive sip of her drink.

"Too many lives were lost today," she looked into Bree's eyes. "The risk and reward wasn't worth it."

The old General pursed her lips and glanced at the beacon on her wrist. In times like these, she needed her brother's guidance most of all.

Bree also looked at the beacon. Rey and Kento were there on Ach-To. Their presence back at the Resistance would mean more than anything to the fighters here. She turned towards the window, the soft glow of lightspeed defining her sharp features. They needed the hope that something bigger than them could help the right side -the bright hope that now, more than ever, felt almost extinguished.


End file.
